Restaurant design issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Restaurant design issues - Essay Example The problem is in choosing the right kind of lighting. 4. Acoustics can make or break a restaurant. If the restaurant is too loud, then people will not want to eat there, unless the theme is that the restaurant is fun and vibrant. The right acoustics is essential to the success of the restaurant. Concept One of the most important aspects of design of the dining room is what concept is the restaurant going for? The concept is important because all the other aspects of the dining room would play off of this (Walker, 2005). Walker (2005) describes what a restaurant concept is, and how designs might change according to the concept that is conceived by the restaurant designer. He describes concept as â€Å"the matrix of ideas that constitutes what will be perceived as the restaurant’s image† (Walker, 2005, p. 51). A restaurant should aim for a concept that is different than other competing restaurants, while also being better than these other restaurants. The elements of con cept are atmosphere, menu, location, marketing, image and management. Examples of concepts include family restaurants, romantic restaurants, fun restaurants, formal restaurants, and, within each of these broad categories are sub-categories that help further define the restaurant. The concept should be clear-cut, in that the symbols, furnishings, service and everything else about the restaurant should be integrated into the proper image that is conveyed to the patrons about the restaurant. In other words, the restaurant should have some kind of theme, character or purpose (Walker, 2005). Walker (2005) lists some of the concept restaurants that have been successful, such as Planet Hollywood restaurants, Lettuce Entertain You restaurants, and different restaurants that are owned by celebrities. He also states that one of the most successful restaurant chain concepts is that of the Hard Rock Cafe. This was a chain that was founded in London in 1971, and each of the restaurants boasts ro ck ‘n’ roll memorabilia and a generally loud and boisterous atmosphere. Therefore, when beginning with the different dining room elements, one must first begin with what kind of concept the restaurant has. This will dictate the three elements that will be explored further in this essay – color schemes, lighting and acoustics. Obviously, a restaurant that has a concept as a family restaurant would have different lighting, color schemes and acoustics than would a restaurant that is being marketed as formal, or a restaurant that is marketed as fun - such as a Hard Rock Cafe or Planet Hollywood. Color Color schemes is the first element that must be considered. According to Piotrowski and Rogers (1999), color schemes need to reflect the overall concept and type of restaurant, as well as take into consideration the current color trends. The color scheme may be unexpected or traditional – for instance, in a Chinese restaurant, the traditional color scheme is red and gold. Unexpected colors might be mauve and walnut. This can work two ways – on the one hand, unexpected color schemes set the restaurant apart from other Chinese restaurants who stick with the more traditional schemes. On the other hand, this kind of color scheme might turn off the patrons who have come to expect the more traditional color scheme. Piotrowski and Rogers (1999) recommend studying color psychology before deciding upon the restaurant color scheme – certain colors stimulate appetite, other colors are soothing, and